Massive Mantis Shrimp Hauled in From Florida Dock

This enormous, 18-inch crustacean was was fished off a dock in Florida.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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Nearly 180 species of fish that glow have been identified in a new study led by scientists from the American Museum of Natural History .
The study, published in Thursday's PLOS ONE , shows how the fish absorb light and eject it as a different color for varied reasons including communicating and mating.
Above, a biofluorescent surgeonfish ( Acanthurus coeruleus , larval)

Researcher David Gruber searching for new biofluorescent organisms off Hele Island, Solomon Islands, with a 5K EPIC camera system and blue lights.

Ken Corben

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A Fort Pierce, Fla. dock fisherman found an unexpected catch on the end of his line when he reeled in an 18-inch crustacean that was striking at its own tail and had to be handled from its backside like a lobster.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said in a Facebook posting that the creature is thought to be a mantis shrimp, although the exact species of which has yet to be determined.

They're "actually not related to shrimp but are a type of crustacean called a stomatopod," the commission wrote. Scientists, they noted, are reviewing the pictures taken by the fisherman, in order to nail down the species of mantis shrimp, of which there are some 400.

Luckily for the enormous shrimp, the fisherman released it back into the water after taking his pictures.